The Wonderful Life of ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’

In 2006, The American Film Institute ranked “It’s a Wonderful Life” first on its list of the 100 most inspiring motion pictures ever made. To judge from the enduring popularity of the 1946 movie, which was directed by Frank Capra and stars Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, what it inspires in most viewers is optimism, gratitude, happiness: the Christmas spirit. But there have always been some who took a more jaundiced view of what has long been a beloved holiday classic.

J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI didn’t much care for it. In a 1947 memo on “Communist Infiltration of the Motion Picture Industry,” the agency quoted an informant’s belief that the malignant character of Henry Potter, played by Lionel Barrymore, “represented rather obvious attempts to discredit bankers,” which the informant called “a common trick used by Communists.” ….

Continue reading  >>>>>>>>>>>